Hache Man
"Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak"
Re: NFL Fantasy Football News/Articles - ESPN Insider 3 New Articles Added 10/26/06)
Re: NFL Fantasy Football News/Articles - ESPN Insider 3 New Articles Added 10/26/06)
October 28, 2006
<SCRIPT language=javascript src="http://ai059.insightexpressai.com/adServer/adServer.aspx?bannerID=7560"></SCRIPT> Stopgap Seven: Week 8
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By Tristan H. Cockcroft
ESPN.com
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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=762 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=552><!-- begin leftcol --><!-- template inline -->The rough-and-tumble NFL can take a toll on your fantasy team's depth, so if you're looking particularly thin at a position, consider the following players who are a little more under-the-radar as starters. (I'll list my Stopgap Seven each Friday all season.)
Cedric Benson, RB, Bears (SF): He's once again being hyped, and is expected to get more work in the offense this week. This could be one of those games in which the team gets 40 total carries, which would be plenty for Benson to rack up sneaky numbers.
Jerricho Cotchery, WR, Jets (@CLE): He has been up-and-down all season, but is still an integral part of New York's underrated pass attack. Laveranues Coles' calf could limit him this week, in which case Cotchery should capitalize with extra throws sent his way.
Charlie Frye, QB, Browns (NYJ): The Jets' defense, at least statistically, appears softer against the run, but with Chad Pennington capable of racking up points for New York, Frye's going to need to throw often to keep pace. He shouldn't have many problems.
Bryant Johnson, WR, Cardinals (@GB): Since Matt Leinart took over as Arizona's quarterback, Johnson has 11 receptions for 186 yards and a score. He's getting plenty of work with Larry Fitzgerald out, and now he battles the Packers' bottom-ranked secondary.
Wali Lundy, RB, Texans (@TEN): The starting job in Houston is once again all his, and facing the Titans' bottom-ranked rush defense, he has to realize this is his chance to excel and lock down the role permanently. Expect him to be more than up to the task.
Muhsin Muhammad, WR, Bears (SF): He hasn't been nearly as accomplished a fantasy factor since his career year in Carolina in 2004, but he's still capable of offering useful numbers facing weaker defenses. It's a fine matchup for him to nab several catches.
Saints defense (BAL): The Saints don't strike many as a reliable defense, but this is a fine matchup. New Orleans ranks eighth in the league in points per game allowed at home (16.0), while Baltimore's offense is 20th in points per game scored on the road (15.0). <STYLE> .headshot { visibility: visible; padding: 0px 5px 4px 0px; float: left;} .bottom { font: 10px verdana, san-serif; color: #fff; font-weight: bold; background: #006633; padding: 5px; } </STYLE>BETWEEN THE LINES
Among the players I'm avoiding in Week 8 ? Byron Leftwich, QB, Jaguars (@PHI): His ankle is limiting him and there's a good chance we'll actually see some of David Garrard this week. Leftwich is a less-than-100 percent quarterback facing the league's leading defense in sacks (25), which means nothing but bad news. ? Jake Plummer, QB, Broncos (IND): If the Colts mount an early lead and Plummer can't keep up, Jay Cutler could actually see some time in this game. Indianapolis' defense ranks No. 3 against the pass. ? LaMont Jordan, RB, Raiders (PIT): His cranky back is destined to bother him whether he plays or not, and there's no way you should be using a nicked-up back against the Steelers' ninth-ranked rush defense. ? Maurice Morris, RB, Seahawks (@KC): The matchup looks fine on paper, but with the untested Seneca Wallace starting at quarterback, things could be awfully shaky for the entire Seattle offense in a road game at Kansas City. ? Antonio Bryant, WR, 49ers (@CHI): It's not so much his potential or his matchup specifically that makes him unappealing. What does is the fact that the Chicago defense should put QB Alex Smith under constant pressure, making it awfully tough for him to locate Bryant often enough to make a big impact. ? Falcons defense (@CIN): The Falcons usually do a good job putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but if Week 7 was any indication, the team's not in peak form right now. The Steelers tore up this defense through the air, whether it was Ben Roethlisberger or Charlie Batch, and this Bengals offense is a bit deeper than Pittsburgh's.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Michael Vick, QB, Falcons
18-for-30 passing, 232 yards, 4 TDs, 2 interceptions
Could there be a more frustrating fantasy option than Vick? He's so terribly inconsistent as a passer, with his Week 7 performance representing a career high in passing touchdowns (4), but in the three games before that, he averaged 148.0 passing yards and failed to complete a TD pass. Last week, no one seemed to believe in Vick as a fantasy option against the Steelers, and he excelled. This week, fantasy owners could be back on the bandwagon, but will he reward their faith or continue to confound those who still believe in him as a potential top-10 quarterback? A matchup at Cincinnati, against the 13th-ranked Bengals pass defense, one that has more interceptions (9) than touchdowns allowed (7), might seem a bit threatening on paper, but I'd argue Vick's worth the gamble for this one. Cincinnati's defense is a bit banged up, and it's not particularly good at reining in tight ends, ranking second-worst in the league in fantasy points allowed to tight ends. (In total, the Bengals have surrendered 31 receptions for 272 yards and four touchdowns to tight ends in six games.) Vick shouldn't have any problem locating Alge Crumpler once again, and when that connection is going well, he's a good play in fantasy.
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Re: NFL Fantasy Football News/Articles - ESPN Insider 3 New Articles Added 10/26/06)
October 28, 2006
<SCRIPT language=javascript src="http://ai059.insightexpressai.com/adServer/adServer.aspx?bannerID=7560"></SCRIPT> Stopgap Seven: Week 8
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By Tristan H. Cockcroft
ESPN.com
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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=762 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=552><!-- begin leftcol --><!-- template inline -->The rough-and-tumble NFL can take a toll on your fantasy team's depth, so if you're looking particularly thin at a position, consider the following players who are a little more under-the-radar as starters. (I'll list my Stopgap Seven each Friday all season.)
Cedric Benson, RB, Bears (SF): He's once again being hyped, and is expected to get more work in the offense this week. This could be one of those games in which the team gets 40 total carries, which would be plenty for Benson to rack up sneaky numbers.
Jerricho Cotchery, WR, Jets (@CLE): He has been up-and-down all season, but is still an integral part of New York's underrated pass attack. Laveranues Coles' calf could limit him this week, in which case Cotchery should capitalize with extra throws sent his way.
Charlie Frye, QB, Browns (NYJ): The Jets' defense, at least statistically, appears softer against the run, but with Chad Pennington capable of racking up points for New York, Frye's going to need to throw often to keep pace. He shouldn't have many problems.
Bryant Johnson, WR, Cardinals (@GB): Since Matt Leinart took over as Arizona's quarterback, Johnson has 11 receptions for 186 yards and a score. He's getting plenty of work with Larry Fitzgerald out, and now he battles the Packers' bottom-ranked secondary.
Wali Lundy, RB, Texans (@TEN): The starting job in Houston is once again all his, and facing the Titans' bottom-ranked rush defense, he has to realize this is his chance to excel and lock down the role permanently. Expect him to be more than up to the task.
Muhsin Muhammad, WR, Bears (SF): He hasn't been nearly as accomplished a fantasy factor since his career year in Carolina in 2004, but he's still capable of offering useful numbers facing weaker defenses. It's a fine matchup for him to nab several catches.
Saints defense (BAL): The Saints don't strike many as a reliable defense, but this is a fine matchup. New Orleans ranks eighth in the league in points per game allowed at home (16.0), while Baltimore's offense is 20th in points per game scored on the road (15.0). <STYLE> .headshot { visibility: visible; padding: 0px 5px 4px 0px; float: left;} .bottom { font: 10px verdana, san-serif; color: #fff; font-weight: bold; background: #006633; padding: 5px; } </STYLE>BETWEEN THE LINES
Among the players I'm avoiding in Week 8 ? Byron Leftwich, QB, Jaguars (@PHI): His ankle is limiting him and there's a good chance we'll actually see some of David Garrard this week. Leftwich is a less-than-100 percent quarterback facing the league's leading defense in sacks (25), which means nothing but bad news. ? Jake Plummer, QB, Broncos (IND): If the Colts mount an early lead and Plummer can't keep up, Jay Cutler could actually see some time in this game. Indianapolis' defense ranks No. 3 against the pass. ? LaMont Jordan, RB, Raiders (PIT): His cranky back is destined to bother him whether he plays or not, and there's no way you should be using a nicked-up back against the Steelers' ninth-ranked rush defense. ? Maurice Morris, RB, Seahawks (@KC): The matchup looks fine on paper, but with the untested Seneca Wallace starting at quarterback, things could be awfully shaky for the entire Seattle offense in a road game at Kansas City. ? Antonio Bryant, WR, 49ers (@CHI): It's not so much his potential or his matchup specifically that makes him unappealing. What does is the fact that the Chicago defense should put QB Alex Smith under constant pressure, making it awfully tough for him to locate Bryant often enough to make a big impact. ? Falcons defense (@CIN): The Falcons usually do a good job putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but if Week 7 was any indication, the team's not in peak form right now. The Steelers tore up this defense through the air, whether it was Ben Roethlisberger or Charlie Batch, and this Bengals offense is a bit deeper than Pittsburgh's.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Michael Vick, QB, Falcons
18-for-30 passing, 232 yards, 4 TDs, 2 interceptions
Could there be a more frustrating fantasy option than Vick? He's so terribly inconsistent as a passer, with his Week 7 performance representing a career high in passing touchdowns (4), but in the three games before that, he averaged 148.0 passing yards and failed to complete a TD pass. Last week, no one seemed to believe in Vick as a fantasy option against the Steelers, and he excelled. This week, fantasy owners could be back on the bandwagon, but will he reward their faith or continue to confound those who still believe in him as a potential top-10 quarterback? A matchup at Cincinnati, against the 13th-ranked Bengals pass defense, one that has more interceptions (9) than touchdowns allowed (7), might seem a bit threatening on paper, but I'd argue Vick's worth the gamble for this one. Cincinnati's defense is a bit banged up, and it's not particularly good at reining in tight ends, ranking second-worst in the league in fantasy points allowed to tight ends. (In total, the Bengals have surrendered 31 receptions for 272 yards and four touchdowns to tight ends in six games.) Vick shouldn't have any problem locating Alge Crumpler once again, and when that connection is going well, he's a good play in fantasy.
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